But in this new reality, we have to prioritize our better-monetized sites. In a memo sent to company staffers Wednesday, Goldberg wrote, “Gawker published a lot of brilliant pieces in these nearly two years. I had an absolute blast, and I love you.” “Can’t say enough about how proud I am of the site and all the brilliant people who worked to create it, and what a staggering shame this is. “ good insofar as their bones are closer to journalism than Ziff’s, but their board is made up of private equity people like Haim Saban who are extremely risk averse,” the staffer said.“Well, after an incredible 1.5 years, BDG has decided it is done with Gawker 2.0,” she tweeted. “I think it’s a mistake to treat this acquisition as some kind of good thing.”Įxecutive editor John Cook has assured everyone at the flagship that their jobs are safe from layoffs (Gawker Media’s union contract does not include “just cause” language shielding employees from wrongful termination).ĬNN nabbed a list detailing where some of the dotcom writers are headed: current editor-in-chief Alex Pareene and senior editor Hamilton Nolan are off to Deadspin, news editor Gabby Bluestone is headed to Jezebel, and reporter JK Trotter will move to Gizmodo.īut beyond basic job security, the Gawker writers will have to decide whether they’re comfortable turning into writers at Deadspin, Jezebel, or the car site Jalopnik. “The mood is shit upon shit upon shit,” said one staffer in the aftermath of the sale, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Denton copped to its reputation for having a “mean streak” six months ago, deciding to rebrand the site as “20% nicer” after the disastrous fallout from publishing a post outing a gay Condé Nast executive.ĭespite editor Hamilton Nolan putting out some public optimism, ’s employees knew the axe was coming down. “I have been having trouble finding my own lawyer to advise me because I do not have enough money to pay for one,” Daulerio said at one point during the proceedings.Īs for the Univision takeover: employees outside of were generally pleased that the broadcaster won over the original “stalking horse” bid from the more consumer news-oriented publisher Ziff Davis.īut the flagship site was always a different story. That didn’t stop Hogan’s attorneys from targeting his assets and maximizing the damage. A screenshot of his checking account submitted to the court showed he had $1,500 on hand. Daulerio, still sardonic and pugnacious in court this summer, reported a negative worth, with $26,000 in student loan debt and $8,600 in credit card debt. Now swoops in Univision, a new home for Gawker’s sites and staffers as its lawyers continue to fight the case on appeal.ĭenton himself has filed for personal bankruptcy, but perhaps no one has been hit harder by the lawsuits than ex-editor AJ Daulerio, who ran during the Hogan story and wrote the post himself. Having published Hogan’s sex tape in 2012, the scrappy site put itself on the line for the principle of free speech and paid the price: having Hulk Hogan as its main creditor. So ended the saga of sex, money and revenge that bankrupted Gawker Media and its founder after Hulk Hogan, bankrolled by billionaire- vampire Peter Thiel, won a $140m lawsuit against Denton and his company this summer in Florida court. Meanwhile, the death of Denton’s flagship got one line in the memo: “UCI will not be operating the site.” Next, it’s a matter of audience: “The addition of Gizmodo, Jalopnik, Jezebel, Deadspin, Lifehacker, and Kotaku to FMG will help us to continue to serve young, polycultural influencers with digital-first brands that reflect their passions with an authentic voice.” The staff memo also said that Univision was interested in “growing video operations and expanding branded entertainment efforts”. “With this strategic acquisition of digital assets, FMG’s digital reach is expected rise to nearly 75 million uniques, or 96 million uniques when including the extended reach network of partner sites – making it a leading digital publisher with a digital reach larger than Buzzfeed (77m), Vice (59m) and Vox (59m), according to comScore.” Univision hyped the acquisition to staff on Thursday in a memo, obtained by the Guardian, from chief news, entertainment & digital officer Isaac Lee.įirst and foremost, the company touted the move as a traffic grab, or “expanding” its “digital footprint”.
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